A New Beginning
523 Words
Chapter 2 – A New Beginning
The loud buzzing of an alarm echoed throughout the room.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A hand shot out from under a mountain of blankets and slammed the alarm clock.
"...Five more minutes..."
Silence.
Then another alarm started ringing.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Kai groaned dramatically and sat upright, his hair sticking out in every direction.
"Why do mornings even exist?"
A maid knocked gently on his bedroom door.
"Young Master, breakfast is ready."
"I'll be down in a minute!"
He stretched his arms before walking over to the large window overlooking the city. Today wasn't just another day.
It was his first day living as Damien Carter.
He sighed.
"I still think Napoleon would've been cooler."
---
After getting dressed in the prestigious academy's uniform, Kai stared at himself in the mirror.
Dark hair.
Simple glasses.
A plain backpack.
No accessories.
No flashy clothes.
He barely recognized himself.
"Wow... I actually look like a nerd."
His driver waited outside the mansion.
"Good morning, Young Master."
"Morning."
The ride to school was unusually quiet.
Kai watched students walking in groups, laughing with their friends.
He smiled faintly.
This is what normal teenagers do...
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
---
A few minutes later...
The car stopped in front of Eden Prestigious Academy.
Tall gates.
Beautiful gardens.
An enormous fountain stood proudly in the center of the courtyard.
Students in neat uniforms filled the campus.
Kai stepped out of the car and looked around.
"So this is my new battlefield..."
The driver chuckled.
"Good luck, Young Master."
Kai took a deep breath before walking through the front gates.
Act normal.
Don't smile too much.
Don't accidentally bow like you're on stage.
Definitely don't start singing.
"I can do this."
...
He lasted exactly thirty seconds.
CRASH!
Kai bumped into someone while looking at the school map.
Books scattered across the ground.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"
He immediately crouched down to help gather the books.
"I wasn't looking where I was—"
His words caught in his throat.
Standing in front of him was the most handsome person he had ever seen.
Sharp black eyes.
Neatly combed dark hair.
A calm expression that revealed absolutely nothing.
The boy simply adjusted his tie before taking the books from Kai's hands.
"You should watch where you're going."
His voice was cold.
Kai blinked.
"Right... Sorry."
The mysterious student gave a small nod and walked away without another word.
Kai remained frozen.
"...Wow."
A nearby student laughed.
"You bumped into him on your first day?"
Kai turned.
"Who was that?"
The student looked surprised.
"You seriously don't know?"
Kai smiled awkwardly.
"I'm new here."
"That was Lee Min-jae or Jin for short."
"The smartest student in the academy."
"The student council president."
"And probably the coldest person you'll ever meet."
Kai watched Jin disappear down the hallway.
A tiny smile appeared on his face.
"...Interesting."
Somewhere down the corridor...
Jin stopped walking.
For reasons he couldn't explain...
He found himself glancing back toward the new transfer student.
"...Damien..."
Why did that name already sound so familiar?
To be continued...
- Writer
